Grant from SIUE will help preserve history of Highland in the digital world
Some of Highland’s history will soon be available online and digitally preserved, after a grant from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
SIUE’s Meridian Society recently announced a $2,594 grant to provide equipment for the Highland History Digitization project, which is being coordinated through the Louis Latzer Memorial Library.
“At this time, the only way to see records of Highland’s past is to go to the library to get them physically,” said Louis Latzer, library board member and great-great-grandson of the library’s namesake. “The digitization of Highland’s historical documents and photographs will make it easier for everyone to access their past.”
The project will create a publicly-available online archive of Highland’s historical records. Digitized documents will be accessible on the Latzer Library website.
Library director Angela Kim said the library has a number of records, including photographs and local history books, which are too rare and fragile to put out for inspection. With the help of the SIUE equipment and interns, they will be able to scan and photograph the items to make them available for historians and genealogists to access.
“Right now we have closets and cabinets full of fascinating items, but we can’t put them out,” Kim said.
Highland was founded in 1831 by Swiss pioneers from Sursee, Switzerland. Latzer pointed out that “Highland takes great pride in its Swiss heritage,” and Kim said that people come from as far away as Switzerland to do research. Now they will be able to do research from anywhere, and the items are sure to be preserved.
In addition, Kim said the system will allow other services that haven’t been possible in the past. “We will have the system here, and we’re adding to it so people can come in with VHS home moves and burn them to a disc,” Kim said. “We will be housing the equipment, and we will take full advantage of it.”
Sociology professor Connie Frey Spurlock, director of the Successful Communities Collaborative initiative, submitted the funding request to the Meridian Society, and the project is being coordinated by Jacob Rose, chairman of the Highland Historical Commission. Other support is coming from the Highland Area Community Foundation and Margye Liebler Baumgardner Fund.
“I view this project as the embodiment of the cultural heart of the city of Highland and its community,” Kim said. “What is contributed to this project will not only preserve the historic context of the Highland community, but also expand upon it through undiscovered historic resources.”
The Meridian Society is a subsidiary of the SIUE Foundation, promoting women’s leadership and investing in community-based projects. The Successful Communities Collaborative is a university program that supports one-year partnerships between Illinois communities and SIUE for environmental, social and economic needs.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 10:00 AM.